Why don´t you share the beautiful encrusted pistachio crumb sautéed fish recipe you had posted in Turkish section if I recall correctly or Southeast USA ?

I had prepared it with both fresh sea bass and fresh cod, and it was delightful ... The Turkish use almonds, as they are almond producters, and in Napoli they employ walnuts; however, I used pistachios ...

That's similar to the one Friend Wife swears by, Mark. Her's is a slightly different configuration, but also red plastic. I wonder if that's a rule?

I've nothing against them. But once I learned the fork-tine trick I failed to see their necessity. Essentially they work the same way.

Funny, when my family moved here from Louisiana in 1955, my father brought a wood shrimp deveiner with him that was just like my red one. Of course made of wood, not plastic, but the same shape and size. It broke long ago and he replaced it with a red one that I still have. I bought a new one so I don't have to use his. I have seen metal ones. They (red plastic) are very common here.

Dan and others have asked if I'd do sort of a companion primer to this one on cooking seafood.

Been racking my brains out trying to come up with a format. Trouble
is, other than the ease in which fish and seafood can be overcooked,
the methods aren't really special most of the time.

Pan frying, for instance, is the same technique whether the protein
is fish, chicken, or steak. Ditto on all the standards cooking methods.

So, if anyone has a suggestion on how to organize such a primer so
it pertains just to, or primarily to, seafood cooking techniques, I'd be
overjoyed to hear it.

Or, if there are specific questions, I'll be happy to take a shot at answering them.

I don't know Brook...some things that were in my mind were on the line of methods and things to watch for while cooking X (say shrimp). Shrimp and scallops seem to cook in similar manners. You don't want to overcook...but can get away with getting good color on one side and gently finishing off heat on the other side. While there may be other methods to cook them (to get good color on both sides) I think this drives home the idea of finish them gently or watch them carefully if your using an aggressive method on the second side.

While the shrimp example may be a very simple idea that can be wide known, cooking squid, octopus, cuttlefish is not as common. Plus, you have two very different options of cooking (short, long) that offer you different things to watch for.

Proper ceviche methods and why you don't want to take it too far. How to recognize when enough is enough. Smoking methods for fish. Yes, adding smoke flavors are beneficial...but you also want to bring the fish up to certain temperatures not seen in other methods...brine or not when smoking.

I do see your point though. Many of the items I brought up can be dealt with as separate specific questions. After you posed the question I'm not sure if any entire primer is warranted.

I think that would be the way to go, Dan, with each question (or related questions) running as separate threads.

Your point about the celepods (sp?) is particularly on track. They get cooked for either less than 2 minutes or more than 20. Anything inside that slot produces tough, rubbery food. For many years I used calamari as the test of a restaurant for that reason. If the squid was served tough or rubbery I knew the kitchen needed work.

Perfect timing, Brook ~ my first few trout of the year are usually smoked, and this year I am going to want to dedicate some to attempting truchas a Navarra; however, once I satisfy those cravings, I will be exploring the wold of fish a little more this year, and your primer will be an outstanding source of instruction and inspiration!

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Dan had asked, and I somehow missed it, how to hold shellfish until needed.

Keep in mind that shellfish have to breathe and be kept cool. If the fishmonger puts them in a plastic bag, make sure he punches some holes in it. Shaved ice should be in a separate bag.

If you're not using them right away, transfer them to a bowl. Set the bowl on a second bowl filled with ice. Cover the shellfish with a dampened kitchen towel and put the whole thing in the fridge.

I've help clams and mussels this way for as much as three days.

Have you ever watched celebrity chefs steam shellfish? They dump them in a pot and, lo and behold, all of a sudden they've all opened at the same time.

Bzzt! Wrong! Thanks for playing!

The reality is, shellfish open in their own good time. For instance, when I made Thai Clams With Toasted Chili Sauce the other night, some of the clams opened in only 8 minutes. Others took more like 14. That's enough of a difference to overcook the early-opening ones and turn them rubbery.

Shellfish should be removed from the heat as soon as they open. This is especially important with mussels, but applies to all shellfish.

So monitor the steaming shellfish, removing the open ones right away and transferring them to a bowl. When the last ones open you can, if needed, put all the others back in the pot for a minute of so, just to reheat them.

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